Morphological diagnosis of congenital and acquired heart disease by magnetic resonance imaging.

Since 1987, the authors have examined 60 patients (21 girls, 39 boys) with a variety of congenital and acquired heart diseases by means of ECG-gated magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) using a multislice spin-echo technique. The patients' ages ranged from 10 days to 20 years (mean age 3.7 years), distributed as follows: 9 patients (15%) less than or equal to 4 weeks; 26 (43.4%) greater than 4 weeks less than or equal to 1 year; 9 (15%) greater than 1 year less than or equal to 6 years; 14 (23.3%) greater than 6 years less than or equal to 15 years; and 2 (3.3%) greater than 15 years less than or equal to 20 years. In 4 cases the quality of the images on the first study were of no diagnostic value and so a second investigation took place. Thus, 60 studies could be analysed, and the findings were compared with the previous diagnoses made on the basis of echocardiography (n = 60) and angiocardiography (n = 47). The 66 anomalies of the vessels included 6 that had been misdiagnosed (2, small patent ductus arteriosus (PDA); 1, pulmonary sling; 2, palliative shunt; 1, aortopulmonary collaterals). Amendment of the previous diagnosis was achieved in 8 cases. In 1 case an aorticopulmonary window was first detected by MRI and in another, a recoarctation of the aorta. The extent of an aortic aneurysm could be defined and a dissection of the aortic wall excluded. In 5 cases MRI gave more information on the pulmonary vascular status.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)